The East Orange Campus High School boys' track and field team members show who's No. 1 at the Essex County Championships at Woodman Field in Monclair.
Correction: Columbia won the girls’ team title for the third straight year and eighth in the past 10 years.
EAST ORANGE – Led by Cory Poole’s dazzling performance, the East Orange Campus High School boys’ track and field team won the Essex County Championships team title for the second consecutive season. The meet was held at Woodman Field in Montclair, May 20-21.
Poole, a junior, won four gold medals. He won the 400-meter hurdles in 51.91 to set the meet record. The time also is No. 2 in the nation this year. He won the 110 hurdles in a meet-record 13.96, which is No. 1 in the state this year. Poole broke both records that stood since 1984 (53.3 in the 400 hurdles by Montclair’s David Jones and 14.0 in the 110 hurdles by Columbia’s Jason Mourning)
Poole won the 400-meter dash in a personal-best 48.37 and was on the winning 4×400-meter relay in which he ran a 48.2 leg. The relay team clocked 3:18.95.
The Jaguars finished first in the team standings with 88 points based on the top-six finishes in each event. Weequahic was second with 69 points.
EOCHS had other strong finishes.
Akeem Lindo, a sophomore, took second in both the 100-meter dash (11.06) and 200-meter dash (22.59), and third in the 110 hurdles in 14.61. Immyouri Etienne, a sophomore, was fifth in the 400-meter dash (49.27) and fifth in the 800-meter run (1:59.55).
Charon Jenkins, a senior, took fourth in both the high jump at 6 feet-2 inches and triple jump at 43-5 ½; and sixth in the long jump at 20-6.
In the discus, junior Timaul Williams was fifth at 133-10 and sophomore Maliek Dennis was sixth at 131-10. Zyair Crump, a sophomore, was second in the shot put at 47-9 ½.
On the girls’ side, sophomore Kevaray Gilette was fourth in the 100 hurdles in 15.66 and sixth in the 400 hurdles in 1:07.12 and the 4×400 relay was fifth in 4:12.21 for EOCHS, which finished 13th in the team standings. Columbia won the girls’ team title for the third straight year and eighth in the past 10 years.
The EOCHS boys’ track and field team has won a major meet team title for the third straight week. The Jaguars won the Essex County Relays team title at Livingston HS on May 6 and won the Super Essex Conference-American Division Championships team title at Schools Stadium in Newark on May 14.
The EOCHS boys’ and girls’ track and field teams will gear up for the state North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 Championships, May 27-28, at Ridge HS in Basking Ridge. The EOCHS boys’ team is seeking its second straight North Jersey Section 2, Group 4 Championships team title.
EOCHS boys’ first-year head coach Lance Wigfall was proud of his team’s performance at the Essex County Championships.
“I was very satisfied, very pleased with the performance,” Wigfall said. Winning the team title “was something I knew we could do,” he continued. “It’s a test of what we need to do come state sectionals.”
Poole in particular has been mentally sharp, said Wigfall.
“I can say right now that Cory is focused,” Wigfall said. “His focus is leading the team. They are ready. The entire team is ready. It’s so much more than Corey. We’re very humbled, we’re very focused. Day in and day out, we are trying to put the city of East Orange on the map. That’s all we’re trying to do.”
Being back-to-back county and sectional champs “would be great,” Wigfall said.
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